When Easter rolls around, this girl is 100% having ham. I LOVE it. And really, who needs a holiday to enjoy this Pineapple + Bourbon Honey Baked Ham. Tender, juicy and savory ham with the right amount of sweetness. This easy ham recipe takes MINUTES to prep and bakes in the oven to delicious perfection. Want the recipe? Keep reading.
Honey Baked Ham…You Know, but with Pineapple + Bourbon … 🙂
It is probably a good thing that I am never put totally in charge of the Easter menu because I’d be shaking things up. You’re next, mac and cheese.
All joking aside, pineapple and ham go together are long time BFF’s. When you add some good old Kentucky bourbon to the mix, that’s when the flavors get interesting.
Ingredients Needed:
- Ham – Definitely use a “city ham” for this, not a super salty country ham. I picked a 11 pound spiral cut FULLY COOKED ham.
- Pineapple – I used canned pineapple (and the juice) for this recipe. You can also use fresh.
- Bourbon – Pick a good drinking quality bourbon. We used Buffalo Trace because I love the smooth, smoky flavor.
- Honey
- Brown Sugar – Light or dark, doesn’t matter.
- Garlic
- Dijon mustard
- Orange
- Ground cloves
You have a lot of flexibility with this recipe. If you don’t have dijon mustard, you can also use regular, prepared yellow mustard or even spicy brown mustard. No orange? Use orange juice instead. Out of ground cloves? Allspice works.
DID YOU KNOW? Both the pineapple and the bourbon act as meat tenderizers. This makes the ham super tender and delicious.
Over the years, I have seen a lot of ham recipes that use pineapple rings that are perfectly placed on the outside of the ham. I salute you, because those recipes look heavenly.
However, I’ve got to keep it real for MY personal abilities and preferences. I crushed up that pineapple to get that tangy-sweet flavor all down into each and every slice of ham. Major time saver, too.
How to Make a Honey Baked Ham:
- Preheat your oven to 325 to 350 degrees. Nothing hotter than that. Prepare a large roasting pan by lining it with aluminum foil, leaving enough foil so you can cover the ham.
- Next, remove the fully cooked ham from the packaging. I pour the juices directly into the pan. Place the ham large “flat side” down into the juices.
- Then using a food processor or hand held blender, pulse the pineapple, bourbon, sugar, honey and all other ingredients until combined.
- Pour the pineapple bourbon mixture over the ham, between the slices, making sure as much of the ham is coated as possible.
- Cover the ham with foil (and a lid if your roasting pan has one)., and bake in the oven for 1 hour until warmed through.
- Uncover, baste with the cooking juices, and broil for a few minutes until the top is golden and bubbly. (Watch carefully and do not burn.)
- Serve.
Super easy and totally tasty, this Pineapple Bourbon Honey Baked Ham is sure to be a hit.
You get the sweetness from the honey and brown sugar. Fresh tangy pops of flavor from the pineapple and orange. Plus the boost of flavors from the sultry bourbon, mustard, garlic, and clove.
For this recipe, I used a 20 ounce can of pineapple rings. I kept a few of the rings to use for the serving platter, but that is up to you.
I also made a quick serving sauce from the cooking juices. Here’s how:
- Transfer some of the cooking juices to a medium skillet. Heat to a low boil, stirring frequently.
- Cook for several minutes until the sauce has reduced to desired consistency.
- Serve over the sliced ham and enjoy.
You can also heat extra pineapple slices in this sauce. Yum!!
Easter Recipes to Try
Cheesy Ranch Hashbrown Casserole
Zesty Italian Pasta Salad
Bacon Green Bean Casserole
Tips + Tricks for the Best Honey Baked Ham
- Use a fully cooked ham.
- I prefer a spiral pre-sliced ham because it is easier to serve.
- Make sure you don’t overcook the ham. Follow the package directions for exact heating times based on the size of your ham.
- A 10 to 15 pound ham is perfect for this recipe.
- Save a few pineapple rings for serving if desired.
- Make a quick pan sauce out of the reserved pan juices.
- Out of Dijon mustard? No worries. Any mustard will do.
- Cover the ham while baking so it doesn’t dry out.
- Pick a GOOD drinking quality bourbon. If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it!
We hope you LOVE this recipe. Get all of the ingredients at the bottom of this post. Have a happy, healthy, and blessed Easter holiday.
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Pineapple + Bourbon Honey Baked Ham
Ingredients
- 11 pounds ham size will vary, 10 to 15 pounds works best
- 20 ounces pineapple with juice
- 1/2 cup bourbon
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup brown sugar plus more for top, optional
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 orange juice AND zest
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 to 350 degrees. Nothing hotter than that. Prepare a large roasting pan by lining it with aluminum foil, leaving enough foil so you can cover the ham.
- Next, remove the fully cooked ham from the packaging. I pour the juices directly into the pan. Place the ham large “flat side” down into the juices.
- Then using a food processor or hand held blender, pulse the pineapple, bourbon, sugar, honey and all other ingredients until combined.
- Pour the pineapple bourbon mixture over the ham, between the slices, making sure as much of the ham is coated as possible.
- Cover the ham with foil (and a lid if your roasting pan has one) and bake in the oven for 1 hour until warmed through.
- Uncover, baste with the cooking juices, sprinkle with more brown sugar, and broil for a few minutes until the top is golden and bubbly. (Watch carefully and do not burn.)
- Transfer some of the cooking juices to a medium skillet. Heat to a low boil, stirring frequently.
- Cook for several minutes until the sauce has reduced to desired consistency.
- Serve sauce over the sliced ham and enjoy.
Mine turned out mushy. It looked and smelled great but it was the consistency of potted meat when you ate it. What did I do wrong?
Hmmm…couple of questions. What type of ham did you use (what did the packaging say, what size, etc)? Did you use fresh or canned pineapple? Did the ham sit in the pineapple too long? Trying to think through what may have happened. I know that pineapple has a lot of enzymes in it that can tenderize meat too much if left on too long, but with a spiral cut ham at this cooking temp and time shouldn’t be an issue. Let me know…I’m happy to help try to troubleshoot what went wrong.